The architectural studio Peterson Rich Office (PRO), founded by husband-and-wife team Miriam Peterson and Nathan Rich in 2014, is designing cultural spaces that blend art, commerce, and community. Their recent projects include converting a Romanesque church into the Shepherd in Detroit—a space for exhibitions, a community library, and performances—and redesigning the MoMA Design Store in SoHo to draw more visitors and link it to contemporary artists like Nina Chanel Abney. PRO's most ambitious commission is for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, involving a special exhibition gallery, dining and retail spaces, and a new entrance at 83rd Street.
This matters because PRO's work addresses the growing commercialization of museums and the pressure to compete with entertainment venues. By creating welcoming, multifunctional spaces that integrate retail, dining, and art, they are shaping how institutions balance revenue generation with cultural mission. Their projects in Detroit and New York demonstrate a model for revitalizing neighborhoods and rethinking museum architecture as a fluid, inclusive experience, influencing broader trends in cultural space design.